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->''"Can we just ask France for a refund of the Louisiana purchase?"''-->--'''[[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment The Spoony One]]''' demonstrating the [[http://spoonyexperiment.com/2007/01/24/adventures-of-bayou-billy-nes-review/ steep difficulty curve]]

''The Adventures of Bayou Billy'' (known as ''Mad City'' in Japan) is a side-scrolling BeatEmUp released by Creator/{{Konami}} in 1988/1989 for the NintendoEntertainmentSystem. In it, an adventurer named Billy West (no, not [[Creator/BillyWest the famous voice actor]]) sets out to rescue his girlfriend Annabelle from the clutches of the evil gangster Godfather Gordon. There are nine stages in all, with driving and [[LightGunGame on-rails shooting]] sections thrown in for variety.

This game is notorious for being ridiculously hard. Although it should be noted that while it may qualify as NintendoHard, it wasn't a whole lot worse than many of the other games made for the {{NES}}. The [[RedOniBlueOni Final Boss]] however, may well be one of the hardest of the era.----!! Tropes used in ''The Adventures of Bayou Billy'':

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: Inverted. The [[http://www.retrogamingaus.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Adventures-of-Bayou-Billy-Mad-City-JP.jpg Famicom version's cover art]] has a similar composition to its later NES counterpart shown above, yet it has a more serious and darker mood. Billy's expression is pretty stern (in contrast to the goofy grin he has on the American art), Godfather Gordon is pointing his knife at Annabelle ([[StandardFemaleGrabArea instead of merely holding her arm]]) and the background is set during sunset instead of daytime.* TheBigEasy: The setting of the game.* BareYourMidriff: Annabelle, in the NES version.* {{Bowdlerize}}: Inverted. Annabelle was given sexier clothing in the NES version. In the original Famicom version she wears a long red dress. In the NES version she wears [[WhoWearsShortShorts tight short shorts]] and a [[BareYourMidriff midriff-revealing]] t-shirt.* ComicBookAdaptation: Most notable for being ArchieComics' first comic book based on a video game, predating their ''Sonic'' comics. It only lasted six issues though.* DifficultyByRegion: The NES version is '''harder''' than the Famicom version. Baddies in the beat-em-up levels take much more damage and move faster, you get fewer bullets in the shooting stages and less fuel in the driving stages.** As a rule of thumb, anything that would help you is halved (like your attack and defense), and anything that would hamper you is doubled (like enemies' attack and defense) when compared to ''Mad City''.* DragonTheirFeet: Rocky and Rocko, Gordon's bodyguards, don't show up until ''after'' you've beaten him. Just what are you getting paid for, guys?** [[DragonWithAnAgenda They were plotting to take over Godfather Gordon's crime syndicate,]] [[AllThereInTheManual and were using you to take him out]].* DubNameChange: Almost all of the characters except for Billy West himself.* EpicFlail: Migraine Mike, one of the bad guys in the later stages, uses a hammer-and-chain.* FatBastard: Hurricane Hank, a {{mook}} in the earlier stages.* GameplayRoulette: Three different game styles in one, but the game (and instruction manual) let you know what you're going to go up against next.* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Despite coming out during an era when Nintendo of America had strict censorship rules, the game managed to get away with a character screaming "OH GOD!!!" during a cutscene (references to anything that could be seen as religious or blasphemous were generally a no-no in the pre-ESRB days, which is what lead to the famous "Oh my car!" line in the SNES version of ''VideoGame/FinalFight''). Also, Annabelle's outfit in the American release of the game allows for her to show off some noticeable cleavage in cutscenes (though it should be noted that Nintendo of America didn't censor Samus Aran's bikini in ''{{Metroid}}'' either).* GiantMook: Blackie Blue* KnifeNut: The Cajun Cutthroat, the punk enemy in later stages.* MultipleEndings: The Famicom version has four endings.** The regular ending (the same one as the NES version)** An ending where Billy dumps Annabelle (which can be obtained if you walk away from her when she approaches you at the end of the game.)** An EasyModeMockery ending you get for using any of the power-ups that can be obtained from the Practice mode.** A secret version of the regular ending with "funnier" dialogue.* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: Alligators are enemies in the early levels. In the Famicom version, killing them was optional. In the NES version, it's mandatory.* NintendoHard: The NES version. The Famicom version was ridiculously easy by comparison.** How difficult is it? ''[[WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster Captain N]]'' couldn't beat it. (At first.)*** And the only way he was able to beat it was to get help and advice from Billy himself.** Partly averted if you play and complete all three practice stages before proceeding to the main game, which gives you more health, bullets, and fuel.* OneHitPointWonder: Your jeep in the driving sections. If it slams into anything, be it a car, a rock, a sign post or a grenade, it'll explode and you'll lose a life.* PrecisionFStrike: Billy screams "OH GOD!" as Annabelle is abducted.* PunnyName: The red-clad mook that appears in Stages 1 and 3 is called "Toulouse L'Attack", a pun on the famous painter Toulouse-Lautrec. GeniusBonus anyone?* RaginCajun: The knife-wielding punks in Stage 6 are called the Cajun Cutthroats.* ShesAManInJapan: The whipmaster enemy (A.L. Hurt) was originally a "whipwoman" named "Thousand Bird", although the [very masculine-looking] sprite is the same in both versions.* ThrowAwayGuns: When Billy takes a gun away from the enemy, each one only has six bullets. When it runs out of ammo, he can't use it again unless he picks up another one.* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: How Billy uses the knives he obtains from enemies.* WalkingShirtlessScene: Billy wears an open vest with no shirt.* WhipItGood: A whip can be obtained from the bad guys in earlier stages and there is one enemy named A.L. Hurt who uses one as his primary weapon.* WhoWearsShortShorts: Annabelle does, if you're playing the NES version.